The Stalling of a Resolution to Bring Back Laid Off Employees

By Renée BartlettWebber rbartle8@mail.ccsf.edu

On Thursday, April 13, the Board Budget and Audit Committee meeting failed to advance two measures calling for the reinstatement of all full-time faculty and classified workers who were dismissed in last year’s layoffs, a total of 87 people, many of whom were tenured.

The committee has three voting members: Chair Shanell Williams, Board Vice President Anita Martinez and Susan Solomon. Trustee Solomon, who authored the resolu- tion, was absent. The two remaining members had opposing views and the motions did not carry, which meant that the resolutions would not be forwarded to the full board.

“I can’t support this resolution without amendments and the first author and other member of this committee is not here,” Williams said. “It’s not that I want to shoot this down, but I want to make amendments and have further discussion.”

The committee’s inaction will delay a decision by the full Board of Trustees on whether to direct Chancellor David Martin to recall all employees who lost their jobs last year.

Tensions rose as attendees debated policies for passing the resolution to the full board and the limitations of the board actions.

Before the vote, both Martinez and Williams said they believed these resolutions would be

Resolution, continued on page 3 celebrates the community leaders who led the fight.

Today, next door to the center, giant cranes tower over yet another massive rebuild of the city’s wastewater treatment plant.

New educational center in the works

But a brand new Southeast Community Center has just opened nearby at 1550 Evans Ave, at the corner of Third St, built by the SFPUC. As City College cleared classrooms at the old center, the SFPUC staff were leading tours of the new one.

San Francisco voters approved bond measures in 2005 and 2020 to fund the construction and upgrading of City College’s campuses, with $30 million earmarked for a new southeast educational facility next to the new community center at 1550 Evans Ave.

There are two City College sites in the Bayview. The trades-only Evans campus is just down the block at 1400 Evans Ave.

At his community hour in Dogpatch, District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton said, “I would love to see that building that was committed to the southern sector go up at 1550 Evans so we can have a beautiful state-ofthe-art education center.“ He noted that the allocation has been reduced to $25 million.

Many questions remain.

Although the City College trustees have confirmed their commitment to a new Southeast Center, the details surrounding that facility are unclear. What would the $25 million buy? Who would own it? The SFPUC, City College and the San Francisco Unified School District are all listed on the project. Who would decide what courses are offered there?

In recent years classes have ended at the college’s Airport, Fort Mason and Civic Center campuses, and now at the Southeast Center as well. Does the college really have the resources and commitment to staff and run a new center?

At a recent City College Board of Trustees meeting, speakers expressed fears that it could be merely a training center for the SFPUC. Will there be ESL classes for the Bayview’s large immigrant population?treatment plant.

The City College library had a table at the event, and librarian Lisa Velarde was there to help students check out books. There were a variety of print books for checkout on social and racial justice topics, including Garza’s own book, “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart.” There were also printouts of book QR codes that could be scanned so students could instantly access a digital copy of a book.

City College also had an outreach table, with promotional materials and informational fliers for interested people who are considering enrollment.

In her speech, Garza emphasized the power of collective action to bring change, and the importance of community solidarity in fighting for equality.

“We all have power, and together we can build the kind of power that transforms how power operates, not just in the city, but in this country,” Garza said.

She also spoke about the relationship between culture and policy. “I’ve started to think that culture wars actually are a nice, beautiful smokescreen for policy wars,” she said. “It’s a smokescreen for policies that are moving to change our ability to live full and dignified lives.”

Using the example of the recent attacks on transgender people’s rights to dignity and healthcare, she said that debates about which bathroom transgender people should use are not really about bathrooms, but about who gets to belong and who doesn't get to belong in society.

“Woke” is not a real thing, she said, but “code for attacks on yet another Black-led movement that dares to challenge the idea that some people in our society can kill without consequences, and that dares to affirm the dignity of all human life.”

BLM, continued from page 2

Historically, San Francisco has been a home for people who couldn’t find a home elsewhere, Garza said, and she encouraged the audience to think about the role the city can play in the larger resistance against fascism and systemic racism.

“I think we should consider that different places in the country can play different roles that contribute. So the thing I would implore us to think about is: What is San Francisco’s role in the resistance?” Garza said.

Joining a movement isn’t just about “marching up and down the street with picket signs and boards. Joining a movement is about joining the people in your community, that you know and you don’t know, and learning how to work together,” she said. Even small acts of solidarity, such as showing up at an event, can be important. “It’s not performative. It’s connective tissue.”

Garza's message urges San Francisco and its people to be active participants in the fight for social justice and equality, both locally and on a larger scale.

“What is your role?” Garza asked, “How do we move forward, not backwards? And what place is San Francisco going to take in a movement to fight back against fascism? You get to decide.” forwarded to the whole board at the next meeting regardle ss of the outcome of the vote in this committee. However, Martin said that it would have to be approved by the committee first.

Martinez told The Guardsman that other committees allow for action items to be forwarded to the full board no matter the outcome of the vote, but this language is missing from the Budget and Audit Committee policies. She is working with the board president and chancellor to remedy this “oversight,” as she referred to it.

Board member Aliya Chisti was in attendance as a non-voting member and asked if these resolutions would be in violation of board policy. The chancellor responded, “if the resolution is to direct the chancellor to hire full-time faculty in specific disciplines by a certain date, I do believe that would be in violation of the board policies and accreditation standards.” distinction there.” She said the resolutions are well within the purview of the board. perhaps the chancellor does not agree with my perspective

“[The trustees] really don’t have that kind of authority to be able to force [the chancellor] to hire folks back.”

He added that on Friday, April 21, Martin distributed an accreditation update and Reyes said, “one of the points was to have a discussion with the board about them overstepping their boundaries.”

“Laying off of tenured faculty is a real rarity,” said Reyes, although it’s happening more throughout the country, he added. “That’s why I think that everyone is treading so lightly because one wrong move in this bizarre situation and there’s going to be literally, lawyers flying in every which direction.” standards.

Martinez said “perhaps the chancellor does not agree with my perspective that this is a recall, it’s not hiring new faculty and there’s a

According to the board policy manual, The Powers and Duties of the Board, the board will “delegate authority in all administrative matters to the Chancellor, including, but not limited to, hiring or promotion of specific individuals.”

Biology Department Chair Joe Reyes, who is vice president of the Department Chair Council, said,

Martinez explained the resolution to The Guardsman: “The intent simply was to ask the chancellor to develop a plan and say how it’s going to be implemented for bringing back the faculty … the other intent is to affirm tenure, that we have a commitment to tenure, because tenure ensures academic freedom.”

She added that tenure is essential for free speech and democracy.

Trustee Solomon requested that her interview be delayed until the resolution is passed on to the full board in May. Martinez is confident the full board will discuss these resolutions next month because both she and Solomon plan to attend the committee meeting, which will create a majority to pass their action items.